Experimental and numerical study of the thermal and hydraulic performance of fin array with wedge shield in bypass

Abstract

In this study, the thermal and hydraulic performances of fin array with a wedge shield installed in the bypass to alter the flow were experimentally and numerically investigated. The effect of the wedge shield inclination angle was explored at Reynolds numbers ranging from 2753 to 20,825. The mean Nusselt number and friction factor were measured in a wind tunnel with the varying volume rate of inlet air flow. The comprehensive performance evaluation criteria under identical pressure drop and identical pumping power were adopted to evaluate the effect of the wedge shield. The velocity, temperature and pressure fields, and the local Nusselt number were characterized using ANSYS Fluent. The results indicated that the heat transfer enhanced and the flow resistance increased by the wedge shield effect. At a same Reynolds number, the mean Nusselt number and friction factor reach their maximum values at θS=10∘ and θS=60∘, respectively. According to the comprehensive performance evaluation, the applicable condition of wedge shield to enhance fin array performance was the inclination angle θS=135∘ at Reynolds number Re=3286, in which the enhancement was approximately 9% under identical pressure drop and 14% under identical pumping power. The numerical results showed that the velocity increase in fin channel and recirculation zone, caused by the blockage of the wedge shield, was the fundamental mechanism of wedge shield to enhance the heat transfer and increase the flow resistance. The velocity increase and recirculation zone, along with the low temperature region and high pressure in the entrance region of the fin channel caused by them, were all affected by the wedge shield inclination angle.